Examining the Use of Dietary Fiber in Reducing the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Latino Youth

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a steadily growing epidemic in the United States, especially for overweight Latino youth who are among the highest at-risk for T2DM development. Although dietary interventions are not often inferred to patients prior to T2DM diagnosis, they may be implicated in risk reduction. The purpose of this review is to examine the use of dietary fiber in reducing the risk of T2DM in Latino youth. The main results of this examination found that a wide variation in use of dietary fiber intake or supplementation resulted in an overall inverse relationship and association with visceral adipose tissue, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. However, due to inconsistencies in fiber definition and/or implementation, dietary and supplemental fiber intake must be further explored in randomized controlled trials so that more agreement may be reached on fiber recommendations, especially in populations at high risk for T2DM such as Latino youth.